Normalizing conversations about safe gun storage means more than just keeping firearms out of the wrong hands. It’s a relevant topic as the father of Madison’s Abundant Life School shooter is scheduled for trial next year for failing to secure the firearms used. Rose Mackenzie, a Program Coordinator at the Children’s Wisconsin Safety Center, says gun injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States, as well as in Wisconsin.

“True secure storage means using a locked container, a gun safe, lock box, or a cabinet with a key or a combination,” Mackenzie says. “Ammunition should also be stored separately and also locked up. Keys and combinations should be kept out of reach and out of sight.”

In addition to safely storing firearms at home, think about homes your child might visit. “It’s reasonable and important to ask, do you have a firearm in your home and are they secured? This shouldn’t be made out as like an accusation, but it should be like the same instinct or response to asking about allergies or the pool.”

Trigger locks, lock boxes and safes can keep kids safe, as well as storing guns and ammo separately. You can find resources for home gun safety on the Children’s Wisconsin website.

On average, 73 Wisconsin children and teens die by gun homicides and suicides each year, with Black and Hispanic children disproportionately affected.